A microstroke is a harbinger of a complete acute disturbance in the blood supply to the brain, which is a stroke. In order to prevent such a problem, you need to take your lifestyle seriously: give up bad habits, follow a diet, maintain high physical activity and take the necessary medications. Otherwise, a repeated and more destructive blow may follow within a year (and in some cases a month) after the first. In order to prevent the development of the disease, you need to detect the symptoms in time and adhere to the treatment prescribed by the doctor. In this case, you can increase your chances that the strike will never be repeated.
Definition
There is no single terminology regarding the disease described. Some believe that a microstroke is a process accompanied by the death of a small area of the brain. Others call this term a condition characterized by a lack of blood in one of the areas of the brain.
By the way, in the medical vocabulary there is no such definition at all. Experts explain that a microstroke is a household name for insufficient oxygen supply in a separate area of the brain. The lack of oxygen is temporary, and the problem is eliminated in less than a day. Due to this, the cells do not die, as in a stroke. The real medical name for this condition is transient cerebrovascular accident.
Classification
Transient cerebrovascular accident is divided into 3 types:
- Transient ischemic attack.
- Hypertensive cerebral crisis.
- Cerebral vascular disorders.
A microstroke is the first type among these disorders, which is accompanied by neurological symptoms lasting from several minutes to hours. The medical name itself contains the decoding of the disease:
- the term "transient" refers to the temporality of the phenomenon;
- "ischemic" - a state of lack of oxygen;
- and an attack is called an acute attack.
The second type is characterized by an increase in pressure, against which cerebral and cardiac symptoms appear. And the third is rare, its symptoms are unstable and vary among different people. Sometimes they can manifest as fainting or impaired functioning of the arteries. Since a microstroke is a transient ischemic attack, we will discuss it later.
Causes
There may be many reasons for the blow, but there are several that become fundamental in most cases. Among them:
- Atherosclerosis of the vessels of the brain. The mechanism of a microstroke in this case consists in the separation of a plaque, an increase in a blood clot on it, or an increase in the thickness of the vessel walls. Any of these three processes leads to a partial (55-75%) overlap of the lumen in the latter. Cell death does not occur only due to resorption of the plaque or blood clot by the body.
- Thrombosis of the lower extremities. Vascular blockage may result from oral contraceptives or varicose veins. The situation is complicated if, in addition, a person suffers from arrhythmia. In this case, the blood clot can come off and with a blood stream can be transported to the cerebral vessel, which disrupts the nutrition of neurons. Death will not follow if the blood clot dissolves.
- The intake of vasospasm-causing substances, in particular nicotine from cigarettes. Spasm is manifested in the compression of blood vessels in one of the areas. Usually, organs affected by any pathology, such as inflammation or diabetes mellitus, are affected. The flow of oxygen resumes when the spasm passes.
- Surgery on large bones, burns or bruises of the subcutaneous tissue can also cause a micro stroke. In this case, a suspension with fat molecules enters the bloodstream, which leads to a short blockage.
- Subclavian theft syndrome. This complex term hides the narrowing of the subclavian artery in the place preceding the branch of the vertebral that feeds the brain stem. If a person with this syndrome actively works with his hands, blood flow rushes to the limbs, and the brain begins to experience a lack of nutrition.
- Anemia. A low level of hemoglobin leads to the fact that too few molecules are involved in the transport of oxygen, which is why all organs and systems, especially the brain, experience a shortage.
- Toxic carbon monoxide poisoning. Once in the blood, carbon monoxide molecules block hemoglobin, and it cannot transport oxygen.
- Increased blood viscosity. This condition occurs with a large number of red blood cells, heart and bronchial diseases, frequent, but not volumetric fluid intake. Viscous blood does not pass through some thin vessels, and the brain does not receive normal nutrition.
Thus, at risk are people with atherosclerosis, abnormal structure and inflammation of blood vessels, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, heart and blood diseases, migraines, osteochondrosis, tumors on the neck or inside the skull, aneurysm, vegetative-vascular dystonia, varicose veins, overweight, chronic stress, hereditary diseases. And also those who abuse bad habits, endure great physical exertion, take contraceptives or have undergone serious surgery.
Especially dangerous is the situation in which a person has several risk factors for the development of a microstroke. Age also plays an important role here. Risks increase after 30 years and doubled after 60. The reason for this is a slowdown in metabolism, which, like other organs, affects the vascular wall. This leads to a decrease in the diameter of the vessels that deliver blood to the brain, and a deterioration in their response to commands from the nervous system that regulates expansion and contraction.
First signs
An approaching microstroke is most often accompanied by the first signs, including:
- headache and dizziness;
- numbness of the limbs or areas of the face;
- blurred vision, black flashes in front of the eyes;
- the occurrence of weakness;
- nausea;
- malfunctions of the vestibular apparatus and brain;
- discomfort on the skin.
Unfortunately, few people pay attention to these symptoms and the first signs of a microstroke. The treatment is late, and the blow still happens in most cases. This is because such manifestations of malfunctions in the body are characteristic of a very wide range of diseases, and it is difficult to diagnose a transient ischemic attack on them. But on impact, the symptoms are more pronounced.
Subsequent symptoms
Signs of a transferred microstroke depend on which particular vessel was damaged. If it is an artery that feeds the brain stem and occipital lobes, the stroke will manifest itself as a combination of several symptoms from the following list:
- loss of certain areas from the field of vision in both eyes;
- pain in the neck;
- spontaneous movement of the eyeballs to the sides;
- the impossibility of touching the nose with your eyes closed;
- noise and ringing in the ears;
- pallor of the skin;
- increased sweating;
- difficulty swallowing saliva.
With damage to the carotid artery, the signs are as follows:
- total or partial blindness of one eye;
- deterioration in the sensitivity of the limbs (and if vision deteriorates in the right eye, the left arm and leg are weakened, and vice versa);
- weakening of the masticatory muscles;
- speech impairment;
- fine motor impairment.
Additional symptoms may include:
- temporary amnesia and loss in space;
- the inability to articulate your thoughts and speak clearly;
- partial paralysis of the body.
If the signs of the transferred microstroke do not pass more than a day, there is reason to assume that a full stroke has occurred.
Specific features
Women are more likely to suffer blows. This is due to a greater predisposition to thrombosis due to physiological characteristics and less stress resistance. Symptoms of stroke and microstroke in women may differ from men. So, they often experience a sharp numbness of the limbs, tingling in them, loss of clarity of speech, redness of the face, shortness of breath, cramps, blurred eyes, sharp headaches. In addition, hiccups, a depressed state, the inability to control their own emotions, pain in the arm, leg, chest or abdomen, severe bouts of nausea, fainting, disorientation, dry mouth, suffocation, and palpitations may occur.
Specific signs of stroke and microstroke in men are also there. They are characterized by clouding of consciousness, uncontrolled weakness, impaired hearing and speech, impaired coordination, difficulty with perception.
Since everyone's health is different, regardless of gender, symptoms may appear unequally or completely absent. A sufficiently strong body can endure a blow so that a person does not attach due importance to a sharp deterioration in the condition and continues to lead a familiar lifestyle. The signs of a microstroke carried over on the legs are similar to those described above, but the consequences can be more serious.
Effects
With a probability of 50% after a microstroke, a full stroke will occur. Most often this happens within a year, but it can happen after a couple of days, and a month, and even after 5 years. This can be avoided by taking measures to improve blood supply. You should not be afraid of the state. A transient ischemic attack by itself does not lead to death, and if a stroke still occurred after it, the body will tolerate it better than if the stroke occurred without prior preparation. This is because after a microstroke the number of vessels increases, which makes it possible to more evenly distribute the load on them.
However, the attack still fails without a trace for the body. Possible consequences after it are:
- decreased mental ability;
- memory impairment;
- distraction;
- repeated hits;
- mental disorders.
These effects of a microstroke appear in both men and women.
First aid
If there is a suspicion that a person has suffered a stroke, the first thing to do is call an ambulance. While waiting for doctors, the patient should unfasten tightening clothing (for example, a belt or tie) and lay it so that it does not fall from dizziness and does not waste the forces it needs to recover.
A microstroke can be accompanied by a buildup of fluid inside the cranium, and this threatens with cerebral edema, so the victim’s head should be laid on a pillow at a slight angle to the body. It is required to measure blood pressure and, if necessary, give a pill to lower it, but it is better to consult a doctor first by phone. If the patient begins vomiting, it is better to turn his head to the side. When the heartbeat and breathing stop, resuscitation will have to be carried out in the form of artificial respiration.
Diagnostics
In a medical institution, the first thing to do is establish the signs and symptoms of a microstroke, and treatment is based on them. The diagnosis of transient ischemic attack is made by specialists after a tomographic study. You can visualize and test the brain in layers using the following methods:
- computed tomography;
- magnetic resonance imaging to examine the structure of the brain;
- positron emission, the accuracy of which allows you to detect a plot of ischemia in the case when the symptoms persist at the time of the examination.
When studies show that there are dying brain regions, a stroke is diagnosed. If they are not, then the vessels are examined for the presence of plaques and blood clots. If they are detected, a removal operation is performed, thereby the risk of stroke is significantly reduced.
In addition to these studies, veins on the legs are scanned, an electrocardiogram and an ultrasound scan of the heart are taken, and blood is taken for analysis. If any pathologies are detected, measures are taken to resolve the indicators. All this helps to mitigate the effects of the blow.
Treatment
After the diagnosis, treatment and recovery measures are taken. A microstroke causes a lack of oxygen, in severe cases, an oxygen mask is put on the victim or connected to an artificial lung ventilation device. With the help of special preparations, dilate blood vessels, improve the absorption of oxygen by neurons, normalize blood pressure, stabilize the work of the heart, thin the blood, and eliminate possible cerebral edema.
Surgical intervention is required in case of detection during angiography of vessels narrowed by more than half. In this case, the installation of a stent, an endarterectomy or angioplasty are required. Additional treatment of signs of a microstroke is usually not required, since they disappear within a few hours, and sometimes minutes.
After the person has received first aid, he is sent to a neurological hospital, and in the case of significant improvements and the absence of a life threat, he remains at home. However, at home, treatment of a microstroke still needs to be carried out. It will be in rehabilitation measures.
First of all, you need to follow all the doctor’s recommendations, but in addition to this, you can try to accelerate recovery on your own:
- For this, an infusion of celandine is useful. It is prepared from 1 tablespoon of pharmaceutical herbs, drenched in a glass of boiling water and aged for 2 hours. Ingestion of 20 drops three times a day will help restore blood circulation.
- Instead of celandine, you can use sage. For 500 ml of water, 3 tablespoons of dry grass are taken, then they are infused for several hours. You need to take 100 ml 3 times a day.
- If possible, you can make an infusion of fir cones. They are crushed, filled with cold water, tightly closed and insisted in a dark place for two weeks. A strained product is taken at 25 drops per day.
- To speed up the restoration of the nerve endings of the spinal cord, you can use the tincture of 1 teaspoon of dried peony flowers, drenched in a glass of boiling water and aged for 2 hours. The filtered liquid is taken 4 times a day for a tablespoon.
Folk recipes are very effective, but before resorting to their use, you need to consult your doctor. Some remedies may simply be contraindicated in certain cases.
Prevention
In order to never encounter the problem of a lack of oxygen in the tissues of the brain, or at least reduce its risk, it is necessary to eliminate the provoking factors. To do this, adhere to the following recommendations:
- to refuse from bad habits;
- reduce the consumption of fatty and fried foods;
- timely treat emerging diseases;
- monitor blood sugar;
- maintain normal blood pressure;
- not allow physical overload;
- time to undergo examinations.
Compliance with these rules is necessary after the first blow, in order to prevent a repeat, and if a person has not encountered this problem, but is at risk. It is better to prevent the development of the disease than to undergo a long recovery procedure. A microstroke is not a sentence, but any malfunctions in the body can lead to unpleasant consequences.